


That Girl

by pink_vnr



Category: david dobrik - Fandom, vlog squad
Genre: Carly Incontro - Freeform, Erin Gilfoy - Freeform, F/M, Heath Hussar - Freeform, Jason Nash - Freeform, Natalie Mariduena - Freeform, Toddy Smith - Freeform, Zane Hijazi - Freeform, david dobrik - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2020-12-16 13:03:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21036686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pink_vnr/pseuds/pink_vnr
Summary: Started with a bottle of cheap champagneNow she's got me hooked on her like good cocaineShe's so numb, miss Novocaine, that girl.Inspired by That Girl by All Time Low





	1. 𝒩𝑒𝓌 𝒢𝒾𝓇𝓁 𝐼𝓃 𝒯𝑜𝓌𝓃 | 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓁𝑒𝓎'𝓈 𝒫𝒪𝒱

"C'mon Marley, it's just a party. It'll be fun!"

I try to suppress an eye roll before grabbing an eyeshadow palette from the messy pile of products stacked on the floor beside me. I'd been in L.A. for about a month, and my best friend Allison had dragged me to nearly a dozen parties already. "Yeah, you said that the last time... and the time before that..."

She sat down on the floor beside me, peering over at my choice of eye shadow, flicking her auburn hair over her shoulder. "Well yeah, and they have been... except to you, I guess."

"Well, I wouldn't say that..." And to an extent, that was true. The parties were all fine, and I loved parties at home, but meeting new people (especially Allison's friends) was rather exhausting. Alli had moved from our home town of Seattle about six months before I had after making a killing off of a few sponsored Instagram

posts, and she quickly fell into the social scene. Me, not so much. Though it seems a bit ridiculous, the culture shock had sort of gotten to me.

"Either way, this is going to be a fun one. You remember me telling you about my friend Jeff, right?"

"Mmmhmm..." I murmured through pursed lips, putting the finishing touches on my eyeshadow and grabbing a tube of mascara.

"Well it's a party with his friends, and they all seem pretty cool. They're pretty much all youtubers." She grins at me, foot tapping anxiously at the floor.

"Oh, well that just sounds so awesome. So cool." This time, I let her see my eye roll, and she playfully pushes my shoulder, letting out a huff.

"Whatever, I know you'll have fun..." She winks, then looks down at her phone. "You ready? The uber is here."

I sigh, pulling myself to my feet and smoothing out my black mini dress. "Yep. So ready."

"Perfect!" The word nearly comes out as a squeal, as Allison grabs my hand and practically drags me out the door.

\---

Allison and I walk into the party, the room buzzing with chatter and music. Before we even get a chance to talk to anyone, I head for the fridge to mix myself a drink.

"Alli! Good to see ya!" A strikingly good looking man with a slight New York accent walks over, wrapping my best friend in a long hug, rocking her back and forth. "Whose your friend?" He asks, looking over to me with a cocked eyebrow.

"Hey, I'm Marley," I say with a smile, peering into the fridge and grabbing a bottle of orange juice. "Cool if I have some of this? I brought my own vodka."

"Uh, yeah, of course. Good to meet you Marley. I'm Jeff." He lets go of Allison, and she shoots me a look before heading off to socialize. "How do you know Allison?"

"She's my best friend from back home. We went to school together." I reply, pouring myself a very strong drink. Just to ease myself into the social scene. "How about you?." I sip my drink, wincing a bit at the taste.

Jeff smiles slightly, leaning against the counter and scratching at his chin. He looked almost a bit bashful, which I wouldn't have expected from someone so outwardly confident looking. "Oh you know... the whole social media thing. Instagram deals and whatnot. God, it sounds so douchey saying it out loud." He laughs, shrugging his shoulders.

"Maybe a little, but I get it." I laugh, throwing my drink back in one go and going to pour another. I hear Jeff whistle from behind me as I uncap the bottle.

"A bit eager?" He laughs, watching me with his head tilted.

"This isn't really... my scene. The alcohol helps."

"Hmmm... okay..." He says, tapping his finger against his chin. "You should meet my friend Zane then, sounds like you guys have something in common. Come with me, I'll introduce you to the vlog squad."

I raise an eyebrow, following him as he starts to head toward the group. "Vlog squad?"

"Uh... yeah... We're all friends... and we vlog... I know, it sounds kinda dumb..."

"Well, I wasn't gonna say anything..." I tease with a wink, stopping in front of the group of loud, laughing, drunk people. Suddenly, I felt small again. Talking to Jeff seemed to come easy, but I had a feeling he had that effect on everyone. I spotted Allison sitting at the end of one of the couches, chatting to a blonde girl.

Jeff grins at me, before starting his introductions. "Marley, this is Heath, and his girlfriend Mariah..." He gestures to the couple sitting closest to us. "Over there is Zane... that old guy beside him is Jason... Talking to Allison there is Carly... "

I nod, trying to take in everyone's name. It wasn't much of an introduction as it was rattling off names, but I sort of preferred that. It was a bit easier to take everything in from a bit of a distance.

"That's Natalie... That's Erin... Jonah is over there... and David-" He stops, brows furrowed, and turns around, eyes searching the room. "Where is that little shit..."

As if on cue, a man dressed in all black with a camera in his hand wanders out from a hallway. "Yeah?"

"Oh there you are... This is Allison's friend, Marley."

David and I lock eyes, and he smiles, tongue sticking out between his teeth. For some reason, I can't help but grin back. He tucks his camera under his arm, and holds out a hand, which I immediately take. "Nice to meet you, Marley."

I shake his hand, noting how soft and gentle his hands are. "Yeah, you too."

Before either of us say anything else, the blonde girl (who I believed was named Carly) called his name. He drops my hand and turns toward the voice. "Well I should go see what's going on over there... talk to you later!"

I watch curiously as he walks off. Just in those few moments of meeting, I could tell he had a sort of magnetism to him, something I was drawn to... which was dangerous. I was lost in my thoughts for a second, before Jeff cleared his throat, thankfully breaking me out of my gaze.

"Your drink is empty again... Shall we?"

I glance over at Allison, and she smirks at me, shrugging her shoulders. I had a sneaking suspicion she was hoping I'd get along with one the guys here, just judging by her giddy expression.

"Yeah, let's go grab another drink."

\--

About an hour and a whole bottle of vodka later, I was pretty much ready to go home. Everyone seemed nice enough, and I did find a few fast friends in Carly, Erin and Natalie, but as the booze dwindled, and everyone's cameras came out, I found myself retreating inwards. I shied away from the cameras, and stopped talking entirely when someone started recording. Allison was completely comfortable, however, and it made me wonder if I would adapt if I spent more time with these people.

I wobbled as I raised myself to my feet, glancing back at Natalie. "Hey, do you know where the bathroom is?"

"Yeah! I have to pee too, I'll join you." She stands up, beckoning me to follow her down the hallway, leaving the buzz of conversation behind. "Are you having fun?"

"I mean... yeah, I guess I am." I shrug, as we reach the bathroom door. I hear a chorus of drunken laughter coming from the group. "Everyone is cool, the whole vlogging thing is a bit weird to me." My head was starting to spin. The alcohol had finally hit after the short walk. I leaned against the wall to steady myself.

"Yeah I get that, I'm David's assistant, I don't vlog myself so it took me a bit of time to get used to it too."

I quirk an eyebrow up at her, crossing my arms. "That sounds like... fun?" I realized how weird it probably was, just standing outside the bathroom. "Here, I'll go pee and we'll talk more later," I laugh.

"Sounds like a plan!" She laughs back, and I close the door, taking a quick glance at my drunken reflection in the mirror. Somehow, I'd managed to smudge my eyeliner already, and my cheeks were flushed. My hair that I had painstakingly curled a few hours prior was the only thing that hadn't been affected by my drunkenness, falling in place over one shoulder.

I try to be as fast as I can, trading places with Natalie on my way out. I wander down the hallway, smoothing my dress out over my thighs

I turn the corner, and before I can even react, I see a spray of white foam, and feel my entire torso being soaked. I let out a scream and jump back, seeing David crouched on the floor, a camera in one hand, a bottle of champagne in the other, and a look of absolute horror on his face.


	2. 𝒟𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝐼𝓃 | 𝒟𝒶𝓋𝒾𝒹'𝓈 𝒫𝒪𝒱

It was like everything was going in slow motion, and yet it only took an instance for me to realize that I'd fucked up. 

"What the fuck!" 

I let the champagne bottle drop to the ground and jumped to my feet, almost reaching out to grab the girl I'd just assaulted with alcohol accidentally. "Oh my god, I am so fucking sorry, oh my god..." 

She stood there, frozen, champagne dripping down her legs... then, I saw Natalie walk down the hallway behind her. 

"David, what the fuck..." She asked, rolling her eyes and stifling a laugh.

"That-that wasnt meant for you... I was ... I was trying to get Natalie, oh my god, I'm so sorry." I could feel every eye in the room on us. It was eerily quiet. "Marley, right? I'm such an asshole, please forgive me." 

She brought her hands to her torso, and then her now-damp hair. "You are an asshole, you're right. Why would you do that to anyone?" 

"Well... uh... I mean, I usually just try to scare Natalie... I saw the champagne in the fridge and I thought it would be...funny..." I then realized I was still recording, and turned off the camera. "I know, it doesn't sound funny... Um... Have you ever seen any of my videos?" 

She crossed her arms over her chest, slightly shaking her head. It was probably a weird time to acknowledge how pretty she was, her dark hair soaking wet and sticking to her chest, and her green eyes flaring with anger. "No, hot shot, I haven't seen any of your videos. Shocking right?" 

"I didn't mean that... Look, I'm seriously super sorry. Is there anything I can do?" I glance over at the group, and everyone is watching us hesitantly. Natalie sneaks past the two of us, escaping the tension.

Marley chews at the inside of her cheek, seemingly weighing her options. "I'll take another drink." 

"A drink! I can do that." I grab her hand, leading her over to the kitchen. She hesitates for a second, then wraps her hand around mine and follows me. I don't know if it was the pure adrenaline of the situation that made me grab her hand, but I was okay with it. Once we're mostly out of sight, the chatter in the other room starts back up. I open the fridge, placing my camera on the counter and gesture for her to look in, with zero regard of what alcohol belonged to who. "I can buy you a new dress if that one is ruined... It looks like a nice dress." 

She smiles wryly, grabbing a Corona. "It was seventeen dollars, but thank you." She opens the bottle, and stares at it for a second. "Are there any limes?" 

"Limes? I'll check..." My breathing had started to level out, and I was hoping my nervous rambling would start to taper off soon as well. I grabbed a bag of limes out of the fridge, and fumbled through the cutlery drawer to find a knife. I cut her a slice and handed it to her, watching her promptly shove it into the opening of the bottle and take a long swig. "Do you forgive me yet?" 

She half smiles, leaning against the counter top. "I dunno... I don't trust anyone that would blast their assistant and friend with champagne. But I do appreciate the stolen beer." She winks, tipping the bottle back once again. 

"Hey, I'll buy who ever it belongs to more, I'm not a total asshole." I laugh, tilting my head and subtly (I hope) looking her up and down. "Natalie has been my best friend for forever, it was just a joke. A bad joke... but a joke." 

"Sure, if you say so... Now that the shock has worn off, I guess it could have been funny. You know, if it wasn't me."

In one more sip, she finishes off the bottle of beer. I don't hesitate to grab her another one, this time with the accompanying slice of lime. "I'm still really sorry you got caught in the crossfire," I laugh, "I hope other than that you enjoyed the party at least." 

"It was alright, I guess. Your friends all seem very nice." 

"Hey, I'm nice too!" I take a few steps, standing beside her. She glances up at me, once again polishing off her beer. Her hair had dried slightly, and now hung down in clumps, plastered across her chest. 

"If you say so, David." 

Her saying my name sent a weird surge down the pit of my stomach that I tried to ignore. "Hey, if you want a ride home to change out of the dress and wash your hair or whatever, I could do that. It's the least I could do, really." 

She raises her eyebrows. "I would appreciate a ride home, yeah," she places a hand over mine on the counter, but just as quickly pulls away. "Now?" 

"Yeah, I could take you now..." My heartbeat was picking up in my chest. Just judging by her body language, I felt like she might want to hook up with me, which was most definitely not something I did, but I felt curious about her. Curious enough to spend a car ride home with her, at least. "We should let everyone know you're leaving, so they don't think I killed you for ruining my bit or something." I chuckle, and she just rolls her eyes in response, following me back into the living room to say our goodbyes. 

Marley immediately heads over to the group of girls and speaks quietly to them, while I stand at the edge of the group. "Hey, I'm just gonna drive Marley home. I'll be back after though, I promise." I get a few weird looks from my friends. Zane lets out a whistle, and I look at him and shake my head. "Ready?" I asked as Marley turns back to me. 

"Yeah, let's go." She raises her hand in a wave, and leads the way out of the apartment door. 

\--

The walk down to the parkade was mostly silent, with a few nervous glances on my part. Marley spent most of the time combing through her matted hair with her fingers. 

"Which car is yours?" She asks, teetering slightly on her gold wedges. 

I chuckled softly, scratching uncomfortably at the side of my chin. "The... Tesla, over there..." 

She looks over at her, arms crossed, and lets out a few bursts of laughter. "Yes, of course it is. I almost forgot you were a big, fancy youtuber." 

"Hey, if you're impressed by that... I also have a Ferrari." I half joke, and she laughs again, shaking her head. I open the doors of the Tesla, and she climbs into the front seat. "So, where are we headed?" 

Marley looks suddenly uncomfortable, not leaning all the way into the seat. I wasn't sure if it was because she didn't want to get the car dirty (if only she knew), or if she felt weird being alone with me. "Does this thing have GPS..." She leans in, staring at the screen. "Never mind, it's a fucking Tesla, of course it does, I'll put my address in." 

I laugh, then wait a moment as she typed in the address, before backing up and heading out of the parking garage. "So... are you new to town? I've met Allison a few times, but this is the first time I've seen you around." 

"Yeah, I moved here about a month ago." She was staring out the window, the reflection of city lights casting multi-colored shadows on her pale reflection. "I'm a vet assistant."

"Oh no way! So you just get to hang out with animals all day? That's so cool." The GPS voice calls for a right, which I take. I look down at the address on the screen, recognizing the street as being in a ... less than savoury part of town. 

"Yeah, I mean it's not all sunshine and rainbows, but it pays the bills." She leans her head against the back of the seat and looks over at me, eyes flicking from my mouth down to my legs. "Thanks for driving me home, David." 

I smile slightly, trying to keep my eyes on the road, more out of nervousness than safety. "Hey, don't worry about it. Thank you for not smashing my camera over my head after I sprayed you with champagne." I laugh, and I feel her hand on top of mine. I glance down, trying to confirm that she wasn't just touching me by mistake. I looked up to see a small smile on her face, and in response, I stroked the back of her hand with my thumb, interlacing our fingers. "I... don't know why we're holding hands right now." 

"Honestly, me neither. You're not exactly my type, David Dobrik." 

"Ouch!" I completely let go of the steering wheel for a moment, putting a hand on my heart. 

She laughs, shrugging her shoulders. "Well... I do like Teslas, so you have that going for you." 

"Well, that's something at least..." I say quietly, turning another corner. The final minutes of the drive are silent, and I notice her pull her hand from mine and turn closer to the window.

I pull into the parking lot of the apartment building and look over at Marley. "This you?" 

She sighs, looking up at the building. It definitely wasn't the nicest looking, and knowing L.A. the rent was probably still astronomically high. "Yeah, unfortunately. Thanks for the ride, David." She opens the door, and starts to get out.

"Hey, wait-" I opened my door and hop out as well, circling around to her side of the car. "I'll walk you up." 

She puts her hands on her hips, and looks around, and its silent for a moment other than the sounds of the city. "If you want to." 

"Well I don't want you to get kidnapped or something, you know..." I grin at her, stuffing my hands in my pockets, and she cracks a small smile. She seems a bit colder than she did before, a bit more stand-offish. 

"My hero." She puts a hand on her heart, then turns and starts heading towards the staircase. I follow her, half-jogging to keep up, until she gets to a door and grabs a key. She turns to look over at me, and tilts her head. "Wanna come in for a few minutes?" 

I was suddenly nervous. I stayed standing in the doorway for a moment, before following her in. I wasn't sure exactly why I was going in. Hooking up wasn't my thing, following girls I'd just met into their apartment alone wasn't my thing. I mostly stayed away from girls. I shut the door behind me, and Marley starts attempted to unstrap her heels. I saw her wobble over and nearly fall, and grabbed her arm to steady her. "Whoah there..." She wrapped fingers around my arm, fingernails slightly digging into my hoodie.

"I'm sorry, these shoes are just a bitch to take off." She finally undoes the strap of the first shoe and kicks it off, leaning into my chest.

"Don't worry about it..." I mumble. She takes off her other shoe, and turns to look at me, arms snaking around my neck. Normally, I'd probably try to brush her off, but instead, I place my hands on the outside of her forearms, and smile. She smiles back, her eyes leaving mine and gazing down at my lips. "Marley, I-" 

She closes the gap between us, placing her lips on mine. It takes me a second to respond, but I eagerly kiss back, arms wrapping around her still slightly damp waist. Her hands tangle in my hair, and I press her against the wall. Her mouth tastes like beer, but she smells sweet, despite being doused in champagne. I could almost hear the sound of my heartbeat. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, but in that moment, I didn't care.


	3. 𝒲𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓈 | 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓁𝑒𝓎'𝓈 𝒫𝒪𝒱

David's touch started off soft, almost timid, but the longer we were pressed together, the more forceful and desperate he got, his hands travelling from my hips, to gripping my face in his hands. He was breathing heavily in between kisses, but he wasted no time with us apart, pressing his lips onto mine again. We stood there against the wall for several long moments before I finally pulled away, gently pushing David's chest before he could lean in again.

"Marley... is everything okay?" He asks, a look of confusion crossing over his face. "Should I... should I not have kissed you? I mean, I guess you're drunk, I'm sorry if I-"

"No, David, I kissed you, it's fine. I was the one who came onto you." I back off from him, staring around my tiny studio apartment, not that there was much to look at. "I'm sorry."

"Well you don't have to be sorry... I-I liked kissing you..." He says shyly, his eyes fixed on mine. He looked so cute and vulnerable, and I felt bad for dragging him into my apartment with no intention of keeping him around. I was not meant for a guy like him. I knew it right away.

"I liked kissing you too David..." I sighed, walking the few feet to my small bed and sitting down. He frowned slightly but tried not to let me see it. "I'm gonna go have a shower, get all this shit off of me."

He stands there silently for a moment, the happy puppy-dog expression I'd been seeing for the past hour completely wiped off of his face. "Okay... Sorry again about the champagne Marley. See you around."

"Bye David."

He opened the door and left, giving me a parting wave. I heard his foot steps descend down the stairs and I let out a long sigh, putting my head in my hands and just breathing for a few seconds, trying to gather myself before getting up and heading to my bathroom. I peeled off my dress and tossed it to the floor, starting the shower and waiting for it to warm up. I could feel my intoxication starting to wear off, and tiredness setting in.

When David first sprayed champagne all over me, I was about ready to punch him in the face. I figured if nothing else, I could get a few more free drinks after seeing how terrified he looked. I didn't expect to be so enchanted by him, the crinkles beside his eyes when he smiled, that way his tongue darted between his lips...

I had no interest in anything more than hooking up. After our conversation in the kitchen, and holding his hand in the car, I could tell that he was the kind of boy that I'd be unable to let go of if I started messing around with him.

I hopped into the shower, letting out a content sigh as the warm water hit my skin. It was a relief to be able finally wash all the stickiness off me. I stood under the water for far longer than needed, just thinking about the night I'd had. I shivered slightly as I thought about David's hands on my waist, and tried to push the thought away, out of sight, out of mind.

I heard my phone ping twice rapidly from the other room and finished washing my hair before hopping out of the shower and wrapping myself in a towel. I headed over to grab my phone, seeing a message from Allison.

**'Marley, what did you do to poor David? He's been sitting in the corner like this since he got back.'**

Attached was a photo of him tucked in the corner of the couch, a hood pulled over his head and a frown on his face. He was staring down at his phone.

**'I didn't do anything, maybe he's just tired. Why do you think I did something?'** I text back, furrowing my brow. Had I really put him down that bad? I felt a pang of guilt for a moment, but shook it off.

**'Maybe. It's just weird. Zane has been acting like a drunken idiot again and he hasn't even bothered to film, which is way out of character. I just thought maybe you bullied him and made him cry or something lol'**

**'Nope, no bullying. Other than telling him off for the champagne, I was perfectly polite.'** I hit send, putting my phone down to change into a baggy t-shirt and shorts for bed.

**'Well I saw you guys talking in the kitchen for a second, it look kinda like you liked him... David's a really sweet guy, it would be so cute if you started hanging out.'**

I reread the message a few times, then sighed, crawling into bed and typing up a response. **'You know I don't "hang out" with guys, Alli. But I'm beat, I'm gonna go to sleep now. I'll talk to you tomorrow.'**

**'Well it never hurts to give people a chance, Marl. I'm just saying. Have a good sleep.'**

I didn't give chances. I had no interest in relationships, or even 'hanging out', and I really never had. I enjoyed the company of guys, hooked up with them, and then been done with it. There were only a few people that had managed to crack through and actually affect me, and it had caused me more pain than I was willing to go through again. I was perfectly fine floating through life with a few friends, and my freedom.

I hardly knew David. I met him only a few hours before... but he scared me, and as much as I wanted to see him again, I knew I couldn't. If I had upset him enough to ruin his night, then it was all for the best.


	4. 𝐼𝒻 𝐼 𝒪𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝐻𝒶𝒹 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐻𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉 | 𝒟𝒶𝓋𝒾𝒹'𝓈 𝒫𝒪𝒱

I left Marley's apartment feeling completely confused and dejected. One second she was all over me, and the next, she was looking right through me, like I didn't exist. I felt like an idiot for putting myself out there, I felt like I'd done something wrong that I couldn't figure out... and at the same time, I knew I had no right to feel that way. If she didn't like me, she didn't like me, and that was okay. But for some reason... I liked her.

I drove back to the party, preparing myself for the questions the guys were bound to ask. If Zane's expression was any indication of what they were thinking, I was in for it. 

I wandered into the apartment without knocking, hearing drunken shrieks and laughter. I picked my camera up from the kitchen counter where I left it and headed over to my friends. "Hey, guys." 

"David! Long time no see!" Zane yelled, clearly drunker than he was when I left. "Did you 'sha la la la kiiiissss the giiiirl?" He sang. pursing his lips and leaning over the couch nearly falling. I rolled my eyes, and didn't answer, just taking my place on the corner of the couch and looking at my phone.

"You alright Dave?" Carly asked, looking up from her conversation with Allison.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I started scrolling through Instagram. The air was tense for a second, but everyone carried on with whatever they were doing shortly after. Zane acted like a goof for a while, then Heath and Mariah left, then Allison left with Carly and Erin. I was virtually silent the whole time, too in my head to even film. I was about to get up and go right after Jonah left, but Jeff stopped me.

"Wait a minute David, sit down, let's talk." He said, patting a spot beside him on the couch.

"Yeah Dave! It's boy talk time, just us bros..." Zane slurred, looking around the room. "And Natalie." 

I laughed lightly, sitting down beside Jeff. "Fine, I can stay for a bit."

"So what happened with Marley dude?" Jeff asked, clapping me on the shoulder. "Alli said she didn't live far enough away for you to be gone that long, and I know for a fact the traffic ain't too bad at this time of night." 

"Honestly, it's whatever. She's cool and all, but she's not into me. So it's fine." I shrugged, glancing down at my phone uncomfortably.

"But you're into her?" Jason asked, leaning closer to Jeff and I, hands clasped in front of him.

"No...no." I shook my head, suppressing a small smile, but my face betrayed me and Jason caught it right away. "I hardly know her."

"But you like her! Whoah, this is big. When was the last time you even slightly liked someone?" 

"I knew it!" 

"Whoah whoah, everybody calm down, it's not a big deal." I said, throwing my hands up in surrender. "Yeah, she's cute, I spent a bit of time with her, but it was nothing. We all just gotta let it go." 

"Well you have to tell us what happened, man." Jeff insisted, grinning. Him, Jason and Zane exchanged a look, and I rolled my eyes. I was going through a bit of a dry spell, but that didn't mean I was absolutely hopeless. I hoped not, at least. 

"Nothing really. We just talked, she was flirting with me, I offered to drive her home cause I'm a nice guy..." I coughed, and Jeff raised an eyebrow. "And I mean yeah... we kissed, but it's not a big deal, so don't make it a big deal." 

I swear, these guys were more excited about my love life than I was. The look of shock on their faces made me borderline uncomfortable. 

"And? Did you get her number? Gonna see her again?" Jason asked.

"No, I didn't. She basically kicked me out as soon as we stopped kissing." I sighed, scratching the back of my neck. "Like I said, it was nothing." 

Jeff frowned. "Well that's no fun." 

"Sorry to disappoint, guys." 

"Well, do you think you had a connection with her, Dave?" Jason rested his chin on his hand. I could tell her was getting all 'fatherly-advice' on me. "Maybe you'll see her again, maybe Allison will bring her to another party." 

I sigh, leaning back into the couch. "Yeah, maybe."

"Or..." Jeff started, smirking slightly. "Or, I could text Allison and ask for Marley's number for you."

"I dunno man, if she wanted to give it to me I'm sure she would have." 

"Maybe she just forgot." Jeff shrugged, typing into his phone. "It's not like you're showing up on her doorstep and harassing her, I'll just ask Alli if Marley is okay with you having it. No harm, no foul." 

I thought about it for a second, before nodding. "Fine, sure I guess. If Marley wants to give me her number." 

"Excellent." I heard the sound of Jeff locking his phone. He gave me a thumbs up. "I'll let ya know what she says." 

"Okay," I say, starting to yawn. For the first time in the whole night other than the champagne incident, it was quiet. I looked around the room, and noticed Zane fast asleep. "Well, we should probably call it a night I guess." 

"You're not gonna do something? Like... pour a bucket of water on Zane's head or something?" Jason asked, looking dumbfounded. "You should kiss girls more often, David." 

"Oh shut up. Let's get going." 

It was a team effort getting Zane off the couch and packing him into the Tesla, but not a feat we hadn't accomplished before. I made the rounds, dropping off my friends, before heading back to my place, and passing out almost immediately. 

\--

As soon as I woke up the next morning (or rather, afternoon) I checked my phone. This wasn't out of the ordinary, seeing as my job was social media, but this time it was with a new urgency, a new purpose. 

I let out a relived sigh when I saw a text from Jeff at the top of my notifications. 

**'Hey man! Allison said that Marley said it was cool if you text her. Good luck ;)'** Followed by a screenshot of Marley's contact info. 

**'Thanks man, much appreciated.'** I responded, checking the other notifications on my phone, then grabbing my laptop. As much as I wanted to text Marley then and there, I was nervous. It was also posting day, and I was a bit worried about the lack of footage I'd gotten at the party. I loaded all the footage from the night before onto my laptop, and started reviewing it.

There was a few conversations in the car on the way to the party, Zane being a drunken idiot, a few funny quips Jason and I had made... then, I watched the footage of the champagne incident.

The camera was on me, explaining how I'd found the champagne in the fridge and just couldn't resist 'surprising' Natalie with it, I then spun the camera around, preparing the shot, and the bottle... and then Marley turned the corner, slightly wobbly on her feet, straightening her dress.

I paused the video, contemplating if I was some sort of voyeuristic pervert for re-watching, then opted to just click off. I went to delete the clip, but stopped at the last second. For some reason, I wanted to hold on to it, just in case she wanted to see it, maybe after some time to reflect she'd find it funny. 

I picked up my phone and typed out a message to Marley... and then deleted it. Then re-typed it. About ten minutes later, I finally settled on just: **'Hey Marley, it's David. '**

It was so stupid. I had no reason to be as anxious about such a simple text, but the next ten minutes were borderline painful. I couldn't even stand to look at my phone. I wandered into the kitchen, grabbing myself a class of water, then headed to the living room, where Natalie was already laying on the couch. Finally, I heard the text alert.

**'Oh, hey David. How are you?'**

"Thank god..." I grumbled under my breath. I flopped down on the couch beside Natalie, and I could feel a smile spreading across my face.

"What has got you so smiley, Dave?" She asked, an eyebrow raised. "Is it that girl? Marley?"

"Huh? No...I mean... yeah, maybe." 

She shrugged her shoulders. "Just be careful. Don't get your heart broken." 

I laughed, starting to type a response. "Natalie, that is way easier said than done." It was like a self fulfilling prophecy when the words left my mouth. I almost felt like I'd sealed my fate. 

But somehow, I was willing to take the risk. 


	5. 𝐹𝑜𝓇𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝒜𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝐼𝓉 | 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓁𝑒𝓎'𝓈 𝒫𝒪𝒱

When Allison texted me asking if she could give David my number, I hesitated. I had no real reason to talk to him, and vice versa, and I didn't even know what we'd talk about. We barely knew each other, and the kiss wasn't anything I particularly wanted to discuss either. I gave Allison to go ahead after considering it for a few minutes, mostly just out of sheer curiosity of what he was going to say to me. It was a while before I actually got a text from him, so long that I was starting to wonder if he was going to text me at all. 

**'Hey Marley, it's David.' **

I stared down at the message, feeling a bit silly for worrying so much about letting him have my number.** 'Oh, hey David. How are you?'** I replied. 

**'I'm not too bad, I hope it's okay that I'm texting you. If not, it was Jeff's idea so blame him haha.'** This time, he texted back almost immediately. 

**'Nah, I don't mind. How was the party after I left?'** I sent the message, starting to pace back and forth in my little apartment. 

** 'Honestly pretty boring, everyone started leaving when I got back. Maybe I scared em off, lmao'  **

I chuckled slightly at his message, and caught myself smiling, picturing his floppy hair and his goofy smile.** 'I highly doubt that, David.' **

I waited for about five minutes and got no reply, so I put the phone down and started rifling through my laundry hamper for something to wear. It was Friday, and although I had no plans yet, I liked to be prepared. I grabbed a few options, settling on a pair of black jeans and a red crop top. I heard the phone chime and I picked it up, opening David's text. 

**'Well thanks, I appreciate that.'** The first message said, another popping up right after. **'So here's the thing... I don't usually do this kind of stuff, but I was wondering if maybe you wanted to hang out sometime? I could take you out for dinner maybe?'**

My heart sunk. I stood there for a moment, just reading the text over and over. He was asking me on a date, which is exactly what I didn't want to happen. I couldn't deny that I was attracted to him, he had the kind of charisma that sucked people in, but a date? That was not something that I did, ever. I let out a long breath, and started typing up a reply. 

**'That's really nice of you David, and don't get me wrong, I like you, but I don't really do... dating, I guess. But thank you for the offer, seriously. I'm sure I'll see you again sometimes soon though, at a party or something.'** I felt like someone had knocked the wind out of me after hitting the send button. I stood there, anxiously tapping my nails against the back of my phone while waiting for his reply. 

**'Oh, okay. Doesn't hurt to try right?'**

Ouch.

**'Well, speaking of parties, I'm going to some random college party tonight with a bunch of people and I think Jeff was going to invite Allison. I dunno if you and her were going to hang out tonight or whatever, but if you do maybe I'll see you there.' **

I smiled slightly, relieved that he'd taken my rejection relatively well. **'Yeah, maybe you will :)' **

I immediately left the text thread from David and went to send a message to Allison to ask her about the party... and if she had room for one more. 

\--

Allison and I were in the uber on the way to the party, and I was checking my makeup in my phone's camera when she finally broke the silence with a question I'd already been asking myself. 

"So... this is the first time you've actually asked me about a party. Any reason why? David maybe?" Alli winked, nudging my shoulder. I immediately rolled my eyes and shook my head, but I felt a weird stirring in the pit of my stomach. 

"No, it has nothing to do with David." I said sternly. I had given her a brief run down of what had happened between the two of us when she had texted me about giving him my number. I tried to convince her that it had all meant nothing, but she wasn't going for it at all. 

"Sure, if you say so." She had her head lowered, but I could still see the smirk on her face. "Are you going to talk to him?" 

"Well, yeah. I'm not going to be a complete asshole." I scoffed, checking my nails. I hadn't texted David since he'd asked me about this party. He'd sent one more message just an hour or so before meeting up with Allison, asking me if I was coming, but I hadn't bothered to reply... So maybe I actually was a complete asshole. 

"I sure hope not." Allison said as the car came to a stop in front of some frat house. She paid the driver and we hopped out, heading into the house. 

Immediately, Allison was greeted by a few girls that she knew while I hung back slightly, glancing around the packed living room. The music was low, but bass-y and I could feel it nearly vibrating the floor. Somehow everyone in the room was absolutely stunning, and I felt mildly intimidated. I cracked open one of the six beers I'd packed into my bag, and took a long sip. 

"Marley! Allison! Hey!" 

I whirled around to see Jeff standing there, grinning. Allison waved at him and smiled, deep in conversation with one of the girls she'd ran into. "Oh! Hey Jeff, how are you?" I asked.

"I'm pretty good... Nice to see you here again, last time you and Dave left in such a hurry I didn't even really get a chance to say goodbye." He said, his voice reaching a higher pitch when he said David's name. I guessed David had told all of them, which didn't impress me, but it didn't surprise me either. 

"Yeah well, I didn't want to mess up your nice apartment with my champagne soaked dress, so..." I trailed off, folding my arms in front of me and smiling slightly. 

"Fair enough, fair enough." Jeff said, his eyes leaving mine and darting around the room, looking for someone. "Speaking of David, he kind of mentioned he might have a bit of a thing for you."

Well, that was straight to the point. I raised an eyebrow and pursed my lips. "Did he now?" 

"Yeah, he said maybe a little kissing happened... David doesn't really do that, so it caught my attention for sure." 

"It wasn't a huge deal. I just thought he was cute in the moment and went for it. It was just a kiss." I shrugged my shoulders, trying to follow Jeff's eyes to see what he was looking at without making it obvious. His gaze was fixed on something behind me, so I started to slowly shift to stand beside him rather than facing him. 

"Hey man, no judgement here. I just thought it was interesting, ya know? David's got a little crush, it's cute." Jeff raised his hands in surrender, looking back to me. "For the record, I think you two would look cute together." 

I couldn't help but laugh slightly at the idea of David and I 'together'. From the little I knew about him, we were opposites. He didn't really like to drink or party, I did. He was super monogamous and committed, I wasn't. He lived his life on the internet, I couldn't stand being in front of a camera. It just wouldn't work out, even if I did like him. "Well thanks Jeff. But I can't see that happening." 

Finally, as the words left my mouth, I saw what Jeff was looking at. David was standing in the midst of a gaggle of girls, camera in hand. They seemed fascinated with him, chattering emphatically as he filmed, one wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Jeff seemed to notice, and stood beside me, silent. David looked up from his camera, and his eyes met mine. He smiled slightly, raising the hand that wasn't occupied with the camera in a wave. 

And for some reason, my fight or flight kicked in, and I wanted to run from him. I felt annoyed that this girl had her arm around him, and that made me angry. I had no right to feel that way, and I didn't want to feel that way. I wanted to just be free of feelings in general. 

"Hey Jeff?" I turned my back to David, turning to face him again.

"Yeah?" 

"Do you want to show me where the fridge is? Warm beer isn't exactly my favourite." I joked, gesturing down to my bag.

"Yeah sure, no problem, follow me." He said, starting to walk the opposite direction of David, towards the kitchen. I took one last glance back to see a small frown forming on David's face, before following after Jeff and leaving him behind. 


	6. 𝒮𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒞𝒶𝓃𝒹𝓎 | 𝒟𝒶𝓋𝒾𝒹'𝓈 𝒫𝒪𝒱

I watched Marley walk off to the kitchen with Jeff, catching her eye quickly when she glanced back. I was so lost in my own thoughts for a moment, I completely lost my train of thought. I could hear the chatter of the girls I'd met a few minutes previous, but I couldn't register what they were saying. 

"David? Helllloo, you still in there?" 

I snapped back to the conversation, as Marley finally disappeared into the next room. "Huh? Yeah, sorry, what were you saying?" 

I resisted the urge to follow after her to say hello. I didn't want to be rude to the girls I was talking to, and I figured she'd be around all night and that I'd have plenty of chances, so I rejoined the conversation. 

But apparently, I was wrong about that. 

Every time I got anywhere close to her, she would turn her back, start talking to someone else, or just straight up walk away. I knew she didn't owe me a second of her time if she didn't want to, and she made it pretty clear earlier that she didn't want to go out alone anytime soon, which was fine. When I brought up the party, however, she seemed excited, and then she ended up showing up and completely cold-shouldering me. As hard as I was trying to fight it... it was really starting to bother me. 

Gradually, the party started to thin out. I'd filmed a lot and was feeling good about that, but the night still felt unfulfilled. The whole day I had been thinking about Marley, and she was only a handful of feet away from me, just acting like I didn't exist. 

I was standing in the living room, leaning against the wall and deleting a few clips of random nonsense that I could already tell wouldn't make it into the vlog, when I noticed her walking into the kitchen, this time unaccompanied. With a sudden burst of courage, I trailed behind her. 

I looked warily into the kitchen before entering, making sure it was empty other than her first. She was peering into the fridge, grabbing a drink, when I spoke. 

"Hey." 

She jumped, nearly dropping the full can of beer in her hand. "Jesus, David, you scared the shit out of me..." 

"I... I'm sorry, I just..." I looked down at my feet for a second. I felt stupid. I couldn't just walk over and confront her about my own hurt feelings, but we were here now, and she was staring at me expectantly, so I took a long breath in and started speaking again. "I'm not very good at this stuff, but I just want to say that I don't understand why you're avoiding me. Like whatever, my feelings were a little bit hurt when you didn't want to go out with me, but I can handle it. I thought we were cool."

She stood there, completely still, looking shell shocked for a second. She opened her mouth, then closed it, before finally starting to answer. "David... we are cool, I was just busy, I'm trying to make friends. I didn't mean to ignore you." 

"Well it really seemed like you were. I just want to clear things up, because if we're going to keep seeing each other, I don't want it to be awkward." I sighed, running my fingers through my wild hair. 

"David." She said, folding her arms across her chest. Her beautiful features were twisted into a frown now, and part of me wanted to disappear and pretend I'd never said anything. "We're fine." 

"Cool, good." I knew I needed to stop talking. I knew I was word-vomiting and I was doing more harm than good. But somehow, the words still fell out of my mouth. "I just don't really go around kissing girls, I guess." 

Marley, sighed, slamming the can down on to the counter with a loud 'thwack' in frustration. "Well how am I supposed to know that?! I didn't think about it that much, you were there, you were cute, I kissed you. And you know what? Maybe I was avoiding you tonight, but I have my own reasons for that, it has very little to do with you." 

I felt a nervous blush rising in my cheeks and raised my two hands in front of my chest, my own little white flag in this argument we were having. I wasn't sure what I was expecting by confronting her, but being faced with her being angry at me was not something I wanted. It was silent for a moment, she opened her beer and took a long sip, staring up at me expectantly through her eyelashes. 

"So... you're saying you think I'm cute?" I said quietly, and Marley immediately let out a laugh, shaking her head with a small smile on her face. The thick tension in the air from a few moments ago had dissipated. 

"Yes, David. I do think you're cute..." She rolled her eyes, taking another sip of beer before placing it beside her. 

"I happen to think you're cute as well," I said, grinning and tilting my head. "I guess we just have to get mad at each other for you to compliment me?" 

"Yeah, well I'd rather you didn't make me mad," She chuckled, shaking her head and looking down at her feet. "See, this is the problem I have with you." 

I inched closer, turning to lean against the counter beside her. "Hmmm?" 

"Even when you're annoying, you're charming." She said, looking back up at me. She moved her arm slightly so we were nearly bumping elbows. "Freaks me right out." 

"Isn't that a good thing though?" I asked.

"Maybe to some people..." She averted her eyes, shrugging her shoulders. "But not to me." 

It was quiet again as I thought of what to say. She obviously had some guards up, and it wasn't my job to ask about them or try to tear them down for my own benefit, as much as I may have wanted to. "Well, I can try being an asshole if you want. Maybe there's another bottle of champagne I could spray on you..." I joked, gesturing over to the fridge.

"No! I'm good thanks!" She laughed for a moment, then paused, her eyes not-so-subtly travelling up and down my body.

"What?" I asked in reference to her wandering eyes, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Come here," she mumbled, and I obliged, stepping in front of her. She wrapped her arms around my waist, putting her head on my chest for a moment. I hugged her back, resting my chin on the top of her head. In all honesty, I had no idea what was going on. She went from turning me down, to ignoring me, to yelling at me, to now burying herself in my arms. I wasn't going to complain however, I'd been aching to be close to her since I saw from across the room.

"You alright?" I said quietly into her hair, and she nodded, pulling away. 

"I'm fine," She said, resting her hands on either side of my waist. "I just don't... know why I'm so attracted to you." 

"Ouch, Marley..." I chuckled. 

"I don't mean it like that, you know that." 

"I don't, actually. But whatever." 

She let out a long sigh before placing a hand on the back of my neck and bringing my face to hers, lightly brushing her lips against mine. I pressed my mouth on hers, impatient with the lack of contact, feeling a surge of electricity run my back. I cupped her face in my hand, pulling her body close to mine, completley forgetting where we were, or who could stumble upon the scene. 

I pulled away from the kiss, trying to hide the smile threatening to break out onto my face. My mind was racing, there were warning alarms going off, but I was ignoring them. 

"Marley, are you ready to-" Allison walked into the kitchen, then stopped dead when she saw us. Marley practically leaped away from me. Alli coughed, trying to hide a smirk on her face. "The uber is gonna be here in five minutes. Just a heads up."

"Yeah, I'll be there," Marley called out as Allison walked away. She looked back to me, eyes wide, and I reached out to hug her again, which she leaned into quickly then pulled back. "Well, I'm never gonna hear the end of that..." 

I laughed, shrugging my shoulders. "I don't think I will either. I already haven't been hearing the end of it." 

She chuckled slightly, grabbing her beer and finishing it off. "David..." 

"Yeah?" 

"It was nice to see you again." 

"Well..." I said, stuffing my hands into my pockets and taking a step back. "You could see me again soon... if you want. That date offer still stands." I was trying not to get my hopes up, but to my surprise, she smiled and nodded. 

"Okay, fine. Let's do it." 

"Really?" 

"Yeah, what's the worst that could happen, right?" She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. There was a hesitant tone to her voice that I was trying to ignore. "I should probably go find Allison. Text me with the details." 

"Will do." 

"Have a good night, David." 

And with that, she turned and walked away, while I tried not to show just how excited I really was, my mind swimming. I was just as confused about the events of the night as I was excited about this upcoming date. Any warning flag I'd noticed from Marley was pushed to the very back of my mind, with the memory of her lips on mine replacing them.


	7. 𝒲𝑒𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓇 | 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓁𝑒𝓎'𝓈 𝒫𝒪𝒱

It was Tuesday, the night David and I had agreed on him taking me out. I had just gotten home from work about a half hour ago, and was getting ready, a nervous pit in my stomach. He was going to pick me up any minute, and I was scrambling to get ready. 

I wanted to cancel. I knew I couldn't, but I really was regretting my decision. I was weak in the moment, seeing him there in front of me. The alcohol had a slight impact on my decision-making, but the main issue was... David. Which was why I had been avoiding him that night... and yet, here we were. He'd gotten me alone, and now I was furiously blending my eyeshadow, getting ready for a 'date'. 

I was throwing on a jacket when I heard a knock at the door. I took a long, meditative breath, before plastering a smile on my face and opening the door. 

David was standing outside, his hands shoved into the pockets of his dark jeans, eyes fixed downwards at his red Vans. As soon as I laid my eyes on him, my smile somehow tuned from fake to completely authentic. 

"Hey..." I said quietly, and he looked up at me, a lopsided grin on his face. His mop of hair had fallen in front of his eyes, and he pulled his fingers through it quickly to tame it.

"Hey! Ready to go?" 

"Yeah, for sure..." I grabbed my purse, slinging it over my shoulder and closing the door behind me. "It's a bit weird seeing you in the light of day." 

"Yeah?" David laughed as we walked towards his Tesla, and it hit me once again what I was doing, what I'd gotten myself into. "I guess that makes sense. I'm glad I'm seeing you in the light of day, though." 

I tried to stop another smile from breaking onto my face as he opened the door for me, unsure of what to say. He got in on the other side and started the car, while I sat there, fidgeting with my phone. 

"So... I'm not really good at this whole date thing to be completely honest," David said, looking over at me. He seemed nervous, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "Do you like steak? I know a place that has really good steak..." 

"Yes, David. I like steak." I laughed, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I'm not really the fancy type, but steak is always fine by me." 

"Oh, thank god. I mean, I usually just go to Olive Garden or Chipotle, but I wanted to impress you, so..." He smiled shyly, looking over briefly before fixing his eyes back on the road. 

"I would have been fine with either of those options, honestly." 

"Well, we'll do that next time then."

"...Deal." I wanted to tell him that there probably wouldn't be a next time, but I held my tongue. Seeing as how I had no intention on even going on this date originally, I figured he could probably sway me into another one. 

The rest of the drive was relatively quiet, mostly due to my own nervousness. We just chatted back and forth about our days, about how work was, so on and so forth. Without the social cheat-sheet alcohol gave me, I was rather awkward. David finally parked the Tesla, once again opening the door to let me out. 

"Alright, ready?" He asked, glancing nervously up and down the street. 

"Yeah, lets go." I said, sidling up beside him, trying to figure out what he was looking for. "What?" 

"I just... this is going to sound really egotistical, I just get recognized a lot, and I didn't want that to freak you out," he shrugged, looking down at his feet. I raised an eyebrow, wanting to roll my eyes at the big hot-shot youtuber, but I couldn't help but appreaciate the fact that he was trying to shield me from it. 

"Yeah, I would honestly hate that." 

"I figured." David chuckled, putting a leading hand on the small of my back and rushing into the restaurant in front of us. I hung back as he greeted the woman at the front, confirming our reservation. I wrapped my arms around myself protectively, smiling politely at the server as she guided us to our table, tucked into the back away from curious eyes. 

I could tell he was nervous, just as nervous as I was, if not more. His leg was bouncing underneath the table as he read through the menu, the both of us completely silent for almost too long. 

"I don't know if a fancy date suits us, David," I said to him, smiling slightly and closing my menu. 

"Maybe not," he smiled back at me, tilting his head. "We can eat fast and get out of here, if you want." 

"Sounds good to me." 

"I guess I should have just asked you what you wanted to do... I just wanted it to seem like I knew what I was doing." He grinned, and I felt myself melt a bit. He had a goofy sort of charm that I found adorable. "I haven't been on a date... in a while." 

"Neither have I. So I suppose we're navigating it together." 

The server came over and I followed David's lead, ordering what he ordered, as well as a vodka soda, which I swallowed back quickly when it got to the table. David watched me curiously, but didn't say anything for a moment. 

"Do I make you nervous?" 

"Hm?" I sat the empty glass down on the table, eyes wide. 

"Do I make you nervous? Or am I just so hideous that you have to drink when you look at me?" He said with a wink, and I felt a blush rising into my cheeks.

"No... I mean, no to the second question, but yes, I guess you do make me kind of nervous." I said quietly, nervously pulling on my jacket sleeves.

"Why? I don't think I'm very intimidating." 

"I don't know why. I've been trying to figure it out myself." I said, tapping my finger nails against the empty glass. "I was honestly going to cancel tonight." 

David frowned slightly, nodding. "Well, I'm glad you didn't. I... well, I guess I might like you a bit." 

I smiled, wanting to say 'I like you too', back to him, but the words remained caught in my throat. 

I felt trapped. I felt embarassed of my own feelings. I felt like I just wanted the date to be over.


	8. 𝒮𝒾𝒸𝓀 𝐿𝒾𝓉𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝒢𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓈 | 𝒟𝒶𝓋𝒾𝒹'𝓈 𝒫𝒪𝒱

By the time our food came out, Marley had calmed down significantly. I saw the tension leave her shoulders, and her feet stopped tapping anxiously at the floor. I admired her from across the table, completely transfixed by her. A flush had risen to her cheeks as she talked, but I could barely stay focused. The way she was smiling was different from the other nights, more open in a way. The tough exterior she seemed to put on had cracked a bit, and I felt like I was actually getting to know her. 

"I have to say David," she said, popping the last bite of food and swallowing before continuing. "I thought this was going to be really awkward, but it's actually been really nice." 

"I can always count on you for a good back-handed compliment," I teased. 

"Well, you know... I haven't been on a date in a while. I thought I wouldn't know how to act." She shrugged, twirling her straw in her drink before taking a sip. Not surprisingly, I had finished long before her and we were waiting for the bill. 

"I think you've been acting just fine. I was worried that I'd be weird." 

"Nah, you're way too charismatic to be weird." 

"Is that an actual compliment?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at her, which she laughed at.

"I suppose it is." 

The waitress came by with the bill, which I paid and thanked her. I could see Marley watching me out of the corner of my eye with a small smile on her face, and I felt more confident than I ever had around her.

"Ready to go?" I asked her, and she nodded. We got up at the same time and started heading out. I gingerly reached out and placed my hand on the small of her back, partially to "guide" her out of the restaurant, and partially just because I wanted some contact with her. 

We stepped out into the street, and Marley turned to face me, arms crossed over her chest. I was fully prepared to hop back into the car and drive her home, but she wasn't moving. 

"What's up?" I asked, shoving my hands in my pockets. The air was cool, which was a nice change from the stuffy restaurant. "Do you wanna go for a quick walk or something?" 

"Sure, why not?" 

We started walking in the opposite direction of the Tesla, and I glanced around quickly. The street was surprisingly bare, only a few groups of people walking on the same sidewalk as us, which was ideal. 

"So... you're not mad at me for pulling you away from your vlog thing?" She asked, grinning at me.

"Nah, not mad at all." I said, smiling back. "However, if it was posting day it might be a different story." 

She rolled her eyes, smirking slightly. "I guess that's fair, it being your job and all..." She paused, looking at me contemplatively for a moment. "That's so weird to me, that you just film your life and get paid for it." 

"It's not as cut and dry as it looks. I make more money from merch than the videos, actually."

"Interesting. I never really got into the social media thing, which is kind of ironic seeing as it's my best friends profession," she laughed. "I've just never been very good at it." 

"Well, this is just my opinion, but I think you're prettier than half of the Instragram models out there," I said, smiling at her. She started blushing again almost instantly. "You could probably make a lot of money." 

"Well thank you, David..." She said, smiling. "I don't think I'd have the energy for that, I'd be too worried about people judging me and being nasty." 

"That's fair, people can be pretty awful. I'm pretty lucky in that aspect, most of the people that follow me are really nice."

As if on cue, I heard someone behind us calling my name.

"David! Can I get a picture?" 

I looked at Marley, and instantly saw the panic in her eyes. She took a step back, giving me a reassuring nod, and I swung around to greet the fan. "Yeah, of course!" 

"Oh my god, thank you. This is so cool." She grabbed her phone, fumbling until she got to the camera. I flashed a peace sign and grinned as she took the picture. "Are you here alone? Or is anyone else here?" She looked around, presumably for more vlog squad members.

"I'm just with here with-" I paused, mentally correcting myself. "Nah, I'm here alone. Just going for a walk." 

"Oh, cool! Well thank you for the picture, David!" 

"No problem, you have a good night!" I said, waving as she walked past me. I hung back, waiting until she was out of sight before walking back over to Marley. "Sorry about that." 

"No, no. It's fine. That's your job." She said, smiling slightly, but I could tell she was a bit uncomfortable. "Should we head back?" 

"Yeah, for sure." 

We walked back to the Tesla, Marley walking a bit further from me than she had been before. I was starting to pick up on things, things that freaked her out, and they weren't exactly things I could control. 

We packed into the car and I started it up, pulling onto the street. 

"Can I play some music?" Marley asked quietly, looking up at me through her eyelashes. The cracks in her exterior had been re-sealed by the looks of it. 

"Yeah, of course." 

She picked some music on her phone, and starting playing it, turning it up nearly too loud for any conversation to happen, and I took that hint, driving silently to her apartment building. 

When we were just a few minutes away, I felt her hand creep over to my free hand, the other gripping the steering wheel. I looked away from the road, focusing over at Marley, but she wasn't looking back, her head tilted towards the window. She laced her fingers with mine, and I gave her hand a small squeeze, trying to suppress a grin. 

I pulled into her apartment parking lot and shut the car off, looking over at her, waiting for her to speak. 

"Walk me up?" 

"For sure." I reluctantly let go of her hand to get out of the car, and started following her up. Her silence was really starting to make me antsy as I walked beside her, hands in my pockets. "Are you alright, Marley?" 

"I'm fine. I'm just tired." She said with a small smile as we reached her door. Once again, she grabbed my hand, and led me inside. I turned to close the door behind us, and I felt her arms wrap around my waist. 

"Hey..." I murmured, reaching down and placing my hands overtop of hers. I turned around to face her, running my hands up to her shoulders, rubbing them gently. 

"Hi." 

She leaned up and pressed her lips to mine, feverishly, almost desperately, hooking her arm around the back of my neck, pushing her body tightly against mine. I sighed happily into the kiss, holding her close to me. I was happy just kissing her, but she didn't seem to feel the same, as she slid her hands under my shirt, running her fingers along the waistband of my boxers. I shivered slightly against her touch, which she seemed to notice, as I felt her lips turn up in a bit of a smile. 

"Marley..." I breathed out, pulling away from the kiss. I saw a slight frown form on her face at the lack of contact. "Are you... do you want..." 

She took a small step back from me, rubbing her lips, as if she was trying to remove the traces of my kiss. "I'm sorry, I..." 

"No, don't be sorry, Marley..." I said quietly, kissing her quickly. "I like you. I like kissing you, I just wanted to make sure we weren't going to do something we'd regret." 

She stood there, her hands resting on my hips, her brow furrowed. "Okay, yeah. I appreciate that..." 

It was completely quiet for a moment, and I wanted to lean in and kiss her again, but she was stone still, which made me hesitate. 

"David, I... I have to work tomorrow, I need to shower and get to bed in the next few hours." 

"Okay, uh... I guess I'll head out then?" I said, feeling a familiar sadness creeping up on me. 

Marley just nodded, completely pulling herself away from me. "Have a good night, David."

I sighed, gently placing my hand on the back of her head and pulling it close, placing a kiss on her forehead. "You too," I said, lingering for another moment, before turning and heading out. 

\--

When I got to my house, there was already a few people lounging on the couch, which was fine. It wasn't a rare occurence to come home to half a party, but with my head in the state it was, I wasn't particularly in the mood to socialize. 

"David! How did the date go?!" Jason asked, before I'd even kicked off my shoes. I'd only told a few of my friends, but I guess word had travelled fast. 

"It was okay..." I said with a sigh, flopping down on the couch. Carly and Natalie were on either side of me, and both of them dropped what they were looking at to tune into the conversation. 

"Well, what happened?" Natalie asked.

"I dunno. I'm just confused. One minute she's ignoring me, the next she's kissing me, then she's kicking me out... and I just don't get it." I said, leaning back into the couch, staring up at the ceiling. 

"So there was more kissing?" Jason asked, eyebrows raised, and I simply nodded, not even really wanting to discuss it.

"You should invite her over!" Carly said, sitting closer to me. "Natalie, Erin and I kinda became friends with her at that party... We could try and get some info from her? See how she's actually feeling?" 

I looked over at her, considering the suggestion for a moment. "Do you think that's a good idea?" 

"Why not? Just say the invite came from us." 

"Okay..." I said, pulling out my phone and bringing up Marley's contact information. 

** 'Hey, I know you have to work tomorrow but I just got home and Carly wanted me to ask you if you'd come hang out with all of us for a bit. It's only me, Carly, Natalie and Jason here, so it's pretty low key. I'd come back and pick ya up.'  **

I waited anxiously for her reply, even though I could already feel in my gut what the answer was. Finally, my phone went off.

**'I would, but like I said before, I'm super tired. Can I ask you something?'**

**'Sure.'**

**'You didn't tell them we were together or anything, did you? I don't want anyone getting the wrong impression.'**

I felt like the wind was knocked out of me, and everyone in the room could tell. I stared down at the text, and everyone stared at me, completely silent. We weren't together, and I knew that, and I had no intention of going around and acting like we were. That wasn't the issue.

The issue was that the very suggestion of it seemed to upset her. The issue was that with every step forward I took with her, we took two steps back. Maybe it was the heat of the moment, the confusion I couldn't shake, but I started typing up a reply that I normally wouldn't have sent. 

** 'No, I didn't, and I wouldn't do that unless you were okay with it. Honestly Marley, I like you, and you know that, but I can't do the hot and cold thing. I feel like I'm trying to get to know you and just keep hitting a brick wall, and I don't want to be the idiot going after something that isn't happening. No hard feelings.' **

I let out a long, shaky sigh as I pressed send, and looked up to see my friends looking at me expectantly. 

"She say no?" Carly asked, which I nodded back to.

"You alright?" Jason said cautiously. They could probably tell by my expression that I wasn't happy. 

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine. I'm gonna go to bed." I stood up, heading towards my bedroom. My chest felt tight, and I just wanted to be alone. "Goodnight, everybody." 

"Night, Dave..." 

I entered my bedroom, taking one last look at my phone tucking it under my pillow, and crawling into bed. I lay there, half asleep for at least an hour, hoping to hear the vibration of a message. 

Not surprisingly, I didn't get one. 


	9. 𝒢𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒢𝑜 | 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓁𝑒𝓎'𝓈 𝒫𝒪𝒱

I stared down at the text David had sent for what felt like forever. I knew that I had messed up. I honestly knew from the moment that I'd kicked him out of my apartment, that I was going to have to either address my feelings or do what I normally do, and run. 

The date went well, I felt myself becoming more and more drawn to him, before I was snapped back to reality by him being approached by a fan. I was immediately overwhelmed with my fight or flight instinct, and the feeling of indaquacy. I felt like I was on the outside looking in when all the influencers were concerned, especially David. I didn't like the idea of the expectation being put on me as someone assosciated with him, much less a 'girlfriend'.

But now he didn't want anything to do with me at all.

I thought I would be okay with it, but the second I opened the text my heart sank. I typed out a few responses, but nothing felt right. If he didn't want to see me anymore, so be it. 

It was for the better.

\--

Several days passed, and I didn't hear from David at all. I jumped at every text notification, scrambling to my phone, just to feel that sinking disappointment every time. I thought about him constantly, about the kiss we shared before I panicked and kicked him out of my apartment. I didn't particularly like to talk about my feelings, but I was constantly distracted, not able to focus on my work, so I texted Allison and asked her to meet me for lunch.

I gave her a brief rundown of what had happened, leaving out the nitty gritty of how I was feeling about David, definitely not ready to get that vulnerable yet. She sat there, quiet and contemplating for a moment while I picked at my salad. 

"So... are you going to text him?" Allison asked, staring at me with her eyebrow raised. 

"I don't know. I kind of want to wait for him to text me, but I don't think he's going to," I said with a sigh. "I don't know what to do."

"Well, from what I know about David, he's kind of shy with girls. So if you want to be with him, maybe you should reach out." 

"I don't want to be with him." I said firmly as I could, but my voice quivered slightly. "I just don't want to be on bad terms." 

"Sure..." She said, popping a fry into her mouth. "I think you like him." 

"I mean, yeah. I do like him, but just to... hook up with, nothing more than that." 

"Well, then you can text him for a booty call at the very least then," Allison winked. I laughed slightly, my mind flashing back to my fingers along his waistband. Something told me David wouldn't be alright with a booty call. 

"If he was down, then maybe I would," I teased. Thinking back, the fact that he didn't just jump into the chance to sleep with me, even though I was entirely willing... was nice. My dating history was basically just a series of meaningless one night stands, and David's hesitance was something almost entirely new to me. 

"Here's the thing, Marley..." She said, taking a long sip of her water before finishing her thought. "I know you. You seem... different, when David is concerned. I know you don't really care about guys and you just do your own thing, but he's affected you."

I felt myself starting to blush, and I set my fork down, suddenly losing my appetite. "Maybe..." 

"You guys just met. It isn't that serious, but you shouldn't be so... I dunno," she sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Scared, maybe? He's a nice guy. I know I've kind of already said it, but you should give him a chance." 

I sat there, thinking. The cognitive dissonance batte going on in my head was driving me crazy. I liked David, I liked his goofy smile and his wild hair, the way he drew people to him without even having to try. It did scare me. I never planned to "fall" for anyone, let alone someone whose lifestyle was so dramatically different than my own. "Maybe you're right..." 

"So? Text him. Just say you were having a bad day." 

"I guess I could." I replied, picking up my phone and staring at it briefly, before unlocking it. 

**'Hey, David. Sorry I didn't respond the other night, I had a lot on my mind.' **

I let out a long breath as I hit send, tapping my fingers nervously against the back of my phone. I passed the phone over to Allison, and gave the message an approving nod. 

I couldn't blame him for being over my flakiness, my constant back and forth, but I also couldn't stand the fact that he might not like me anymore. It was selfish, and he didn't deserve it. I wanted his attention, but only at a safe distance. 

"Has he answered you?" Allison asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. 

"Uh... no, he hasn't..." I said, opening my phone to check it. My eyes immediately focused on the text he'd sent the other night, then travelled down to my own message. 

My heart sank when I looked at the bottom of the screen. 

"Marley? What's your deal?"

I flashed my phone over to Allison and showed her. 

Instead of the reply I was hoping for, it just said _'Read: 1:23 PM'_


End file.
